Walking horse



J. V. CARD WALKING HORSE June 2o, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1949 i Q Q INVENTOR. ls cfaflzes $6 01 0;

J. v. cARb 2,511,968 WALKING HORSE June 20, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1949 IN VEN TOR. 47471296 $6 01 0;

ATTD RN EYS J. v. CARD 2,511,953

WALKING HORSE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 20, 1950 Filed March 1, 1949 Mn. M. NK Nf i w J. v. CARD.

WALKING HORSE Jane 20, 1950' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 1, 1949 .1 s m%% a T .N N7 m m w .mwvm NV $5 W. A HMY N W W. -v av w fifl Patented June 20, 1950 WALKING HORSE James V. Card, La Grange, Tex., assignor to Texas Toy Horse Manufacturing Company, Ltd., La Grange, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application March 1, 1949, Serial No. 78,915

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanical toy, and more particularly to a mechanical hobbyhorse for children.

The object of this invention is to provide a mechanical hobbyhorse which will provide entertainment for a child.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy vehicle having the configuration of a horse, and which will simulate the movements of a horse when in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical hobbyhorse which is adapted to be propelled by a child and which will provide suitable exercise for the child.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical hobbyhorse which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the mechanical hobbyhorse according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the horse, with parts broken away and in section;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Figure 2 with the legs in a difierent position;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the rear portion of the mechanical horse, and with the rear legs in the position shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view of the lower portion of the hinge connection between the neck and body;

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional viewof one of the clutch assemblies for the left front wheel;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a sectional View of a portion of one of the clutch assemblies shown in Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on the line lI-ll of Figure 2;

Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating the actuating means for the brake and clutch;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 with the horses neck turned to the right;

. Figure 14 is a vertical sectional view illusing elements 35.

vehicle preferably has the external configuration ofa horse and includes a body 30 fabricated of plywood or other suitable material. The body 36 is shaped to define a pair of spaced side portions 3| and 32 and supported by the body 30 is a saddle 29 'for' supporting a child thereon, the saddle 29 being secured to the side portions 3| and 32 by screws 33 or'the like. A- tail 34, preferably fabricatediof rubber to prevent damage to household furniture, projects rearwardly from the body 30 and is secured thereto by screws or other fasten- Arranged adjacent the tail 34 and interposed between the side portions 3| and 32 is a support member 36 which is provided with a verticallydispos'ed bore 31, there being screws 38 for securing the support member 36 to the side portions. Positioned below the support member 36 is a housing 33 which carries a horizontally-disposed pulley 40, there being a sash cord ll trained over the pulley 40 for'a purpose to be later described. A pin 42 secures the cord ll to the pulley ll]. Projecting upwardly from the housing 39 is a shaft 43 which rotatably seats in the bore 31, and projecting downwardly from the housing 33 is a pair of spaced hind or rear legs 43 and 45 and each leg is provided with a groundengaging caster wheel 46 on its lower end. There is imparted a lifelike swinging movement to the rear legs 44 and 45 as the vehicle moves, as hereinafter described.

Arranged forwardly of the support member 38 and secured to the side members 3| and 32 by screws 41 is a block 43, Figure 2. An eye bolt 23 projects rearwardly from the block 48 for engagement with an end of a coil spring 49, and the other end of the spring 49 is connected to a cotter pin 50 which extends through a cutout 5| in the support member 36 and also extends through the shaft 43, the spring 49 serving to normally urge the rear legs 44 and 45 straight ahead and into alignment with the body 30. A vertically-disposed, rotatable pulley 52 is supported by the front portion of the block 48 and a strap 53 provided with adjusting buckles 54, Figure 1, is trained over the pulley 52. The free ends of the strap 53 are pivotally connected to stirrups 55 and 56 by means of a pin 51, and the stirrups are adapted to be engaged by the childs feet.

Extending between the side portions 3i and 32 of the body 313 is a horizontally-disposed shaft 58, there being a cotter pin 59, Figure 5, for maintaining the shaft 58 therein. The side portions 3| and 32 are cut away adjacent the shaft 58, as at 60 to ipermit swinging movement therein of the "top members '6I of the front legs t2. lhere are a pair of these front legs 62 and each embodies a top member 6| which is secured 'to a link 63 by screws or rivets 6 1, each of the links 63 having its upper end pivotally connected to the shaft 58. The other end of each of' the top members Si is bifucated, asat-fififforreceiving therein one end of the bottommember 66,"there being a pin 61 pivotally connecting the bottom member and top members of each front leg together. A pair of rods 68 and 69 each have'one end pivotally connected by a pin 10 to the hoofs 'of -the 'front legs and the'rods 68-anjdi69 are piv- "otally-connected-to the stirrups' '55 and fifiyrespectively, by pins 12. The rods fifi and 69 each have their rear=portions bent -transversely,;.as at and-the rods terminateiin a bent-section 1A. A pair of crank arms 15 and I6 are pivotally :moun ted i'n bearings 11 whichare supported in 1 the 'body 3%]; and the: crank arms .15: and "1 6 each :have their 'lower; ends :pivotally' connected, as at =18; to the-rear.endsof therods 68 'and:-69,;re-

spectively. "The sash ocord 4| .is trainedxover guide pulleys-2| and thefree endsrthereof are connected? to theocrankarmsiliand 16,1Fig11re 3. A honizontallyedisposed front axle 19 :isiro- -tatab1y. connected .to-..theilower ends. of. aipairl of ilegs :25nand 128 which are;part of .a stationary .frame 21'. and. pair of cranks Jflflzfilld .8! -;each haveamend secured to the ends of ithe axle vI9. The other ends of the cranks 80.';and 8I .are piviotally connected, warez, .to the. respective .bottom: members; 6G..of thefront legs. A right \front wheelr83 anda leftfront wheel .84; are rotatably mounted on ;the-ax1e .19, the-.wheelseach,including .an :outer .tread 85, the .wheels 18% and Babeingpositioned contiguous tothe respective. cranks ;8Drand-.8l. g

. There is .providedza.;clutch and brake assem- .b ly-'.foricontrolling.themovement of the front wheels in order ;to properly turn or steerythe vehicle. movement .of, the .forwardly projecting head .88, .there being a strap orreins 81 connected to the .frontoftheheadtfi. andadapted to be gripped .bythe; child rider. A pair of opposed plates or blocks 88 and 89,,Figure 7; are arranged in the hollow bodyslland are secured totheside portions thereof Aroc'ker arm 90 is pivotallyconnected to the plate 88 by a pin sl which also .extends through a, spacer member ll .A s'eclond rockerarm 92 1s .pivotallyconnected tothe other .Dlatets by ag pin 93. The head 86 is hingedly connected to thevehicle at two points" whereby swinging movement about a vertical axis ispermitted. .Thus, an upper bracket 94 has one "end securedt o the head 86 by rivets '|9;.F,igiire 2, and

a pin or bolt 95pivotally connects the free end of the'bra'c'ket 94 'to the Web 96 Of'th'fixd frame .21; .A vertically-disposed shank" 9'! 'isfixe'd to the bracket. 'interrnediate'itsen'ds fora pur- ,.poseto'"be"later described. A horizontallydisposed brace 98' extends betweentlie'legs 25 "and 26 and 'is secured thereto. A'second bracket 99 is spaced "below the first bracket "94, --'and is-secured to the head flfi 'by --rivets Hill; there being This. turning. movementis controlled by 4 ing the other end of the second bracket 99 to the brace 98.

The clutch and brake assembly further includes a first lever Hi2 which projects through the rocker arm 92 and has its upper end bent transversely to define a hook 1&3 which terminates adjacent the shank 9?. The lower end portion of the lever IE2, is in-the form of an elongated loop which surrounds the axle l9 and contacts with one of the clutch plates H5. A second lever Hill is provided, and this lever projects-through the other rocker arm at and has its upper end bent transversely to define a hook N which is arranged on the other side of the shank 9i. -Therlower end portion of the second lever W4 also hasan elongated loop which surto thetwo levers Hi2 and N16 for normally urging will Zoe imparted to the cranks and"8|"to=-therethe latter toward each other. Arranged below the spring lifiii are. hcrizontal'lyedisposedj strips till which have their ends secured to thellegs of the frame 2'1. Links I t8 havetheir lower ends =pivotally connected to.the ;strips tall, as at I09,

and-their upperendsipivotally connected to the lever 862. Second links l'lilphavetheir lower endsconnectcdtoxthe strips:l 6l,- .as at HI, and

their upper ends.- pivotally connected .to the other I lever we.

A :horizontally disposed brake member l 12 and H3 are secured tozthet'levers I02 and HM; respectively, sand :the :brake :members are mounted for. movement into and out of frictional engagement with :thefronawheels Bdgandp83 upon pivotal movement of ..the elevcrs'. The pivotal 1 movementv ofz'thetlevers i I 02. .and 1.04.15 caused by turning the head r86 1 .Wh'erebyrthe shankrll contacts one off'the hooks-1:03. OIII 05.

Formed integrally :with 1 the left front .wheel 84 or secured :theretodsza sleeve. or'hub l 14,.Fig-

ures 2 andPBpwhich includes a longitudinallyextending 1 central .opening ll ifor-srotatably em- :bracing theaxle 19; The-exterior of the sleeve H4 is square in cross-sectiom-and slidablyar- -ranged on 'thesleeve H4 is a portion of :a disc l iiwhich-ishprOvide'd with a plurality of spaced holes or openings H6. A collar H1 is keyed to z the axle I 7 9' and 4 a-pinl I8 projects from the collar ll'land adapted to reg'isterwithone of the "openings H6 in the disc l 15' wherebytheaxle 19 will-normally rotate or drivethe -wheel il l'. --'A cotter pin H9 projects through theaxle-IQ for upon pivotal movement of the lever 1132; the disc H5 will be moved away from the collar l-l'l so that the pin H8 will be free of the holes in the disc Il5,- th-us-er iabling the axle "l9 to -rotate freely in-the-Wheel 84.

There is a second clutch memb'er liflar-ranged adjacent the other front-whe'el-83 for disengaging the "front wheel 83 :"fromthe axle 19. The

clutch-1'20 has the same-structure -and function as the previously-described c1utch'for the wheel '84, but works in the opposite direction.

The operation of the mechanical 1 horse is .1 as follows: The: child sits on the saddle 29" withhis or her feet in the stirrups 55 and 56. Then, whenthe child moves his'legs, a circularmoticn by rotate the axle 9. As long as theiyehicle 1 continues in astraight-ahead-direction, the frontwheels 83 andllid' w'ill 'be driven bythe rotating a bo1t and nut-assembly l-il'l pivotally connect- 1.1-5 -axle 13. Io' 'steer'or turn the vehicle, as for -cx- 'ample to-turn tothe rightjthe reins 81 are pulled to the right, thus turning the head 86 to the right. This turning of the head from the position'of Figure 12 to the position of Figure 14 moves the shank 91 into engagement with the hook Hi5 and causes the lever I04 to move to the right, which simultaneously actuates the clutch 120,110 permit the axle 19 to rotate freely in the right wheel 83 and also moves the brake member H3 into frictional engagement with the right Wheel83 to .prevent rotation thereof Thus, since the left wheel'84 continues to rotate, the vehicle will turn. Similarly, to turn the vehicle to the left, head 86 is moved to the left, whereupon lever 102 will move to the left to thereby compress coil spring It and move the disc H5 out of engagement with the pin 1 [8, which is connected to the rotating collar Ill. This last-named movement stopsthe axle 79 from driving the left front wheel 84 and at the same time causes the brake memher I I2 to engage the left front wheel.

The toy is further constructed so that the legs thereof simulate the lifelike movements of a horse. Thus, the front legs are each made of two membersfil and 66, and these front legs are caused to bend at the pivot points 66' as the cranks 80 and 81 are rotated. The rear legs 4d and 45 swing in an arc, as seen in Figure 4, and this swinging movement is accomplished by means of a sash cord 4| which is trained over the pulley 40 and connected to the moving elements l5 and 76.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A mechanical vehicle havin the external configuration of a horse comprising a hollow body provided with a pair of side portions, a saddle supported on said body for supporting a child, a tail fabricated of hard rubber projecting rearwardly from said body, a frame having an inverted U-shape arranged forwardly of said body and secured thereto, said frame embodying a horzontally-disposed web and a pair of spaced legs, a horizontally-disposed brace extending between said legs and secured thereto, a horizontally-dis posed axle rotatably mounted in the lower ends of said legs, a crank secured to each end of said axle for rotating the latter to propel said Vehicle, a pair of spaced parallel ground-engaging front wheels rotatably mounted on said axle, a pair of front legs each embodying a top member pivotally connected to the complemental side portion of the body and a bottom member having one end pivotally connected to said top member and its other end pivotally connected to said crank, a rod extending rearwardly from each of the bottom members of said front legs and pivotally connected thereto, a block positioned between said saddle and interposed between the side portions of said body and secured thereto, a rotatable pulley projecting forwardly from said block and mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a stirrup strap trained over said pulley, a stirrup adapted to be engaged by the childs foot connecting each end of said strap to the complemental rod, a pair of crank bars each having one end pivotally connected to the side portions of said body and their other end pivotally connected to the complemental rod, a support member arranged rearwardly of said body and secured thereto, there being a vertically-disposed bore .arranged in said support member, a housing .positioned below-said support member, a shaft projecting upwardly from saidhousing and rotatably seated in said bore, apair of spaced rear legs depending from said housing, a rotatable groundengaging caster wheel connected to the lower end of each of said legs, a horizontally-disposed pulley carried by said housing, a sash cord trained across said last-named pulley and having. its ends connected to said crank bars whereby a swinging movement is imparted to said rear legs upon movement. of said vehicle, a head arranged for,- wardly of said body and hingedly connected to the Web of :said frame and to said brace, and reins connected to said head for causing turning mo /e ment; thereof.

2., A mechanical vehicle having the external configuration of an animal comprising a hollow body provided with a pair of side portions,,a saddle supported on said body for supporting a child, a tail projecting rearwardly from said body,

a frame having an inverted U-shape arranged forwardly of said body and secured thereto, said frame embodying a horizontally disposed web and a pair of spaced legs, a horizontally disposed brace extending between said legs and secured .thereto,ja horizontally disposed axle rotatably mounted in the lower end of said legs, acrank secured to each end of said axle for rotating the latter to propel said vehicle, a pair of spaced parallel ground-engaging front wheels rotatably mounted on said axle, a pair of front legs each embodying a top member pivotally connected to the complemental side portion of the body and a bottom member having one end pivotally connected to said top member and its other end pivotally connected to said crank, a rod extending rearwardly from each of the bottom members of said front legs and pivotally connected thereto, a block positioned between said saddle and interposed between the side portions of said body and secured thereto, a, rotatable pulley projecting forwardly from said block and mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a stirrup strap trained over said pulley, a stirrup adapted to be engaged by the childs foot connecting each end of said strap to the complemental rod, a pair of crank bars each having one end pivotally connected to the side portions of said body and their other ends pivotally connected to the complemental rods, a support member arranged rearwardly of said body and secured thereto, there being a vertically disposed bore arranged in said support member, a housing positioned below said support member, a shaft projecting upwardly from said housing and rotatably seated in said bore, a pair of spaced rear legs depending from said housing, a rotatable ground-engaging caster wheel connected to the lower end of each of said legs, a horizontally disposed pulley carried by said housing, a sash cord trained over said lastnamed pulley and having its ends connected to said crank bars whereby a swinging movement is imparted to said rear legs upon' movement of said vehicle, a head arranged forwardly of said body and hingedly connected to the web of said frame and to said brace, and means connected to said head for causing turning movement thereof.

3. A mechanical vehicle having the external configuration of an animal comprising a, hollow body provided with a pair of side portions, a saddle supported on said body for supporting a child, a tail projecting rearwardly from said body, a frame having an inverted u-shape arranged forwardly. refs-said. hodysand secured a theretg; said 'frame;embodying?.achorizontallmdisposed web and a. pair: of zspacedzalegs, a :horiz'ontally disposed brace extending. :between said: legs and; secured thereto, axhor-izontally disposed :axle :rotatably mounted'in the zlowercends ofsaidv legs, ,9, crank secured to each .end ofz'said; axle for;.rotating the latter to propel saidavehi'cle, a pair; of spaced parallel ground-engaging front: wheels rotatably mounted on saidaxlera paip'ofci-ront-legs each embodying a top member pivotally connected: to the complemental side portion of:.the body-.and a bottom member 'having :one end; pivotally connected tosaidtopmembefland its othe aend pivotally connected to said 1 crank, -a--rod extending rearwardly from each ofthe bottom members of said front legs and pivotally connected thereto; a; pulley arranged between-the side portions 'of'-=said=body and mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis; a stirrups'trap trained'over-said -pulley, "a stirrup adapted-to -be engaged by the child-s '-foot-"connecting'each end of :said strap-:to the'eomplemental rod; a pair ofcrank bars each having one end pivotally connected to the side -portionsof said body-and-their. other endqfii-votal1yconnectedto the --comp1emental rod, asup- -port -member -arranged rearwardly of saidbody 'and' secured thereto, -tl-1ere being a vertically dis- -posed -bore arranged -in said support 'member, -2.

.shqusinapq e tiqa d h eirs dis n p t memb a sh mrqiectine u ardl iir m s ll e s ne mt l v seat sl; sai ib a P r} O Sp q re r-l es; e endmsi omai :h usin oa a lb e .er u dree i e caster h ,me d ith w rtend o aq q sse d es a horiwlt d s o ed l eylqar dc-hmaidc l i ra fi xi ined. across said last-named pulley v. tsen s-swnec edw -Mem e whereby a swinging. moye pent is imparted to said r r l es'u on mw ment q a vvehiclepai m ar an d awk a fs a d b d; hi e -vconnectedto, the web; of saidi frame and to said brace and-,means connected --to said head for ca sineptur WQmenHheI v JAM S V- CAR REFERENCES 'CITED mil-she; :fol-lowing. rreferences (are of mecordzin 4 th file :of: this patent:

.UNrTEDisTATasP TENIs Number Name Date 91;602 :1 Butterfield V .June 22,1869 I 1228;496 Nick .June'8, 1-880 1 ,342,720 .i Scanlan v June 8, 1920 1,785,738 s iKnoxetral. Dec.i 23, 1930 2;120,'1'02 r-Kurelic June-7, 1938 2,377,646 'cPlank -June 5, 1945 

